When the cake has cooled, prepare the topping by melting together the chocolate and
butter slowly.

Leave for a few moments.

Pour over the cake and spread to coat the cake evenly.

Decorate as you wish.

Easter Simnel Cake

Delia Smith's recipe.

Makes an 8" cake

6 oz butter

6 oz caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

6 oz currants

8 oz sultanas

2 oz glacé cherries, quartered

grated rinds of a small orange and a small lemon

2 oz chopped candied peel

8 oz plain flour

1 level teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon mixed spice

3 tablespoons of milk

For the topping and filling:

12 oz ground almonds

12 oz sieved icing sugar

3 egg yolks

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of almond essence

1 tablespoon of brandy or sherry

1 dessertspoon of apricot jam

1 beaten egg

Brush an 8" cake tin with melted fat and line with greaseproof paper, also
greased.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 2.

Cream the butter in a bowl, add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy.

Now beat the eggs and add them, a little at a time, beating well each time to prevent
curdling.

Next fold in the fruits, peel and rinds.

Sift the flour, baking powder and spice, and fold into the mixture alternately
with the milk.

Now spoon half the mixture into the tin.

To make the almond paste, combine the ground almonds with the icing sugar in a clean
bowl.

In a jug beat the egg yolks, lemon juice and almond essence, then stir this into the
ground almond mixture. Then add the brandy or sherry. Knead to a stiff paste.

Put two-thirds into fridge, and roll one-third to form an 8" round. Fit this
gently over the cake mixture. Spoon the rest of the cake mixture on top, level it out, and
bake in the centre of the oven for 21/2 to 3 hours, or until the
centre is firm and springy. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack, brush the top with the warmed jam, and roll the rest of the almond
paste to fit the top. Make a criss-cross pattern and arrange 12 paste balls (from the
trimmings) around the edge. Brush the top with beaten egg; place under a hot grill until
golden.

Apple and Walnut Loaf

Requires a 2lb loaf tin

4 oz butter

4 oz caster sugar

2 eggs

1 teasp honey

4 oz raisins

2 oz chopped walnuts

8 oz self-raising flour

1 teasp mixed spice

1 Bramley apple, peeled and chopped

Icing sugar for dusting

Grease and line a 2 lb loaf tin.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4.

Place all ingredients except the icing sugar in a bowl and beat for 2 minutes.

Put the mixture in the loaf tin. Bake for 1 hour then turn down the gas to number 3,
and give another 15 - 20 minutes.

When cooked, turn out of the tin and allow to cool.

Sieve icing sugar on top to decorate.

Serve sliced and buttered.

Date and Walnut Tea Cake

Requires a 1 lb loaf tin

6 oz wholemeal self-raising flour

21/2 oz margarine

2 oz unrefined sugar

6 oz chopped dates

2 oz chopped walnuts

1 egg, beaten

2 fl oz milk

Rub the margarine into the flour.

Add the dates, sugar and walnuts, and mix well.

Add the egg and milk, and mix to a fairly stiff consistency.

Put the mixture into a greased 1 lb loaf tin and bake for 1 hour on gas mark 4.

Leave for 1 day before cutting.

Serve sliced and buttered.

Mary's Tea Bread

Makes 2 loaves

12 oz dried fruit

1 cup of tea

1 cup of sugar

2 cups of flour

1 large egg

Make the tea, then soak the fruit and sugar overnight in it.

Next day, add the flour and egg.

Put into two 1 lb loaf tins.

Bake for 11/2 to 13/4 hours at gas mark 3.

Jenny's Tea Bread

Recipe from Jenny.

Makes 2 x 1 lb loaves

8 oz self-raising flour

4 oz margarine

a pinch of salt

4 oz demerara sugar

1 egg

4 tbsp milk

Options:

4 oz mixed fruit

1

/4 teaspoon allspice

1

/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tbspoons lemon marmalade, or some chopped ginger

OR

2 teaspoons ginger

1 tbspoon ginger juice or treacle

OR

2 oz chopped walnuts

4 oz dates

1

/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tbspoons marmalade

Sift together the flour, salt and spice.

Rub in the margarine.

Add the sugar, then the egg.

Stir in the other ingredients.

Put into two 1 lb loaf tins, and bake for 1 hour at gas mark 4.

No Fat Teabread

2 cups dried fruit

1 cup of hot tea

1 cup sugar (white or brown)

2 cups self-raising flour

1 egg, whisked

Soak the dried fruit in the tea for 10 minutes.

Add the sugar. Allow cooling for a few minutes.

Fold in the flour. Then fold in the eggs.

Pour the mixture into a greased loaf tin.

Cook at gas mark 4 for 11/2 hours.

Oat and Orange Tea Loaf

A recipe from a Crunchy Oat Cereal box.

Makes 1 x 2 lb loaf

6 oz Crunchy Oat Cereal

6 oz soft brown sugar

4 oz self raising flour, sifted

4 oz wholemeal flour, sifted

2 oz sultanas

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon mixed spice

6 fl oz orange juice

1 beaten egg

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Beat in the orange juice and egg.

Turn into a greased 2 lb loaf tin.

Bake in a preheated oven on gas mark 4 for about 1 hour, until golden brown.

When cold, slice and butter well.

Canadian Fruit Loaf

A recipe from Auntie Joan.

Wet ingredients:

2 oz margarine

2 cups of fruit

1 cup of hot water

Dry ingredients:

2 cups of self-raising flour

1 cup of soft brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

Also needed:

1 beaten egg

Put the wet ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones.

Add the beaten egg.

Put the mixture in a well-greased and lined loaf tin.

Sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake at gas mark 4 for 1 hour to 11/4
hours, covering with greaseproof paper after the first 45 minutes to prevent it browning.

Remove from the oven, take off the lining paper while the loaf is still hot, and let
cool.

Bournvita Loaf

Makes a 1 lb loaf

8 oz self-raising flour

2 oz Bournvita

2 oz granulated sugar

4 oz mixed dried fruit, including dates

2 tbspoons warmed golden syrup

5 fl oz milk and water

Grease a 1 lb loaf tin.

Mix the dry ingredients and the fruit.

Stir in the warmed syrup, and mix to a dropping consistency with the liquid.

Pour into the loaf tin.

Bake at gas mark 4 for one hour.

This loaf improves with storing in an airtight tin.

Slice thinly and spread with butter.

Eccles Cakes

12 oz puff pastry

6 oz currants

3 oz butter or margarine

3 oz demarara sugar

3 oz mixed peel

A little water or egg white

A little caster sugar for sprinkling

Roll out the puff pastry and cut into rounds.

Melt the butter or margarine and mix in the other ingredients.

Place a heaped teaspoonful of the filling on each round.

Moisten the edges of the pastry, gather and pinch well to seal.

Turn the cakes over and roll out until the fruit just shows.

Now make three cuts in the top of each cake with a sharp knife, and place them on a
greased baking sheet.

Brush with egg white or water and sprinkle with caster sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes on gas mark 7.

Chocolate Orange Squares

8 oz rich tea biscuits, crushed

4 oz dried fruit

4 oz margarine

grated peel of one orange

1 tbspoon cocoa powder

11/2 tbspoons golden syrup

4 oz cooking chocolate

Melt the margarine.

Add the syrup and cocoa powder.

Now mix in the dried fruit, grated orange peel and crushed biscuits.

Press the mixture into a greased Swiss roll tin.

Leave to cool until firm.

Melt the chocolate and spread it over the base.

Leave to set, then cut into squares.

Hazelnut Logs

6 oz melted plain chocolate

1 oz margarine

1 egg white

2 oz icing sugar

2 oz chopped hazelnuts

11/2 tablespoons rum

vermicelli

Melt the margarine and chocolate together.

Mix in the egg white and beat well.

Add the sugar, nuts and rum.

Leave in the fridge until firm.

Roll out into logs and cover in vermicelli or chopped nuts.

Rhum Babas

8 oz strong plain flour

a pinch of salt

3 eggs

1

/2 oz fresh yeast or 1 sachet easy blend

2 fl oz warm water

1

/2 oz sugar

4 oz melted margarine

1 oz currants

For the syrup:

10 fl oz water

4 oz sugar

1 lemon and 1 orange

Cinnamon stick

Rum, glace cherries, cream, angelica

4 oz Apricot jam with 1/2 fl oz water

Make the dough in the usual way.

Grease and sugar the baking tins, and spoon on the mixture.

Cover and leave to prove in a warm place.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 6.

Meanwhile prepare the syrup by grating the zest and squeezing the juice of the lemon
and orange.

Boil all the ingredients, then strain.

Cook the babas for 15 minutes in the oven.

Remove from the oven and soak in the syrup while hot.

Pour rum onto the babas.

Glaze with apricot jam.

Decorate with cream, glace cherries and angelica.

Brandy Snaps

2 oz butter

2 oz caster sugar

2 oz syrup

2 oz plain flour

1 level teaspoon ground ginger

Melt the butter, sugar and syrup over a gentle heat.

Blend in the sieved flour and the ground ginger.

Put teaspoonfuls of the mixture on greased baking sheets well apart, to allow for
spreading.

Cook for 8 to 10 minutes at gas mark 4, until golden.

Remove from the oven and without delay proceed to wrap the snaps around the greased
handle of a wooden spoon.